Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester
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The Royal Agricultural University (RAU), formerly the Royal Agricultural College, is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
university in
Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world.


History

The Royal Agricultural University was founded as the Royal Agricultural College in 1842, at a meeting of the Fairford and Cirencester Farmers’ Club. Concerned by the lack of government support for education, Robert Jeffreys-Brown addressed the meeting on "The Advantages of a Specific Education for Agricultural Pursuits". A prospectus was circulated, a general committee was appointed and
Henry Bathurst, 4th Earl Bathurst Henry George Bathurst, 4th Earl Bathurst (24 February 179025 May 1866), styled as Lord Apsley from 1794 to 1834, was a British Peerage, peer and Tory politician. Background and education Born at Apsley House, he was the eldest son of Henry Bathu ...
was elected president. Funds were raised by public subscription: much of the support came from the wealthy landowners and farmers of the day, and there was no government support. Construction of the main building, in Victorian Tudor style, began in April 1845 and was designed by S. W. Daukes and John R. Hamilton, and built by Thomas Bridges of Cirencester. The first 25 students were admitted to the college in September 1845.
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
granted a
royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
to the college in 1845 and sovereigns have been patrons ever since, visiting the college in every reign.
King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
became president in 1982. The college gained full
university status A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
in 2013 and changed its name accordingly. It had students in the academic year and saw a 49% rise in applications between 2008 and 2013. In 2021 the RAU expanded with the creation of a Cultural Heritage Institute based in
Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...
.


Rankings

The RAU ranked in the top 10 universities in the UK for the best student experience and was the highest-ranking university in Gloucestershire, according to the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. It was shortlisted in the Small or Specialist category in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2024. The RAU debuted in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2024 in the top 200 globally for Zero Hunger (Goal 2) – coming in at joint 15th for UK universities and joint 12th for an English University. While, for the Life on Land Goal (Goal 15), the RAU was in the top 300 globally and joint 38th for a UK university. The university ranked in the top 10 nationally for the Land and Property Management subject area in the Complete University Guide 2025.


Farms

The university operates two farms close to the campus: * Coates Manor Farm is predominantly arable cropped with some pasture land. * Fossehill Farm provides polo and hunter livery stabling and associated exercise facilities. Harnhill Manor Farm was purchased in 2009 and with Coates Manor Farm totals of land. The farm was managed organically for many years but all the land apart from the outdoor-pig unit was taken out of organic management. In 2011, an old sheep shed at the front of the farm complex was turned into the 'John Oldacre Rural Innovation Centre' a building designed for the training of students and members of the public in vocational skills such as rough-terrain forklift truck driving, blacksmithing, chainsaw and welding course, etc. The building cost £1.2 million to transform. The JORIC was officially opened in March 2014 by
Sir John Beddington Sir John Rex Beddington (born 13 October 1945) is a British population biologist and Senior Adviser at the Oxford Martin School, and was previously Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London, and the UK Government Chief ...
and the site was visited in November 2013 by
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
.


Sport

The university has a range of sports facilities on campus, including a gym, an all-weather pitch, and squash and tennis courts. Students participate in a wide range of sports including; clay pigeon shooting, cricket, equestrian, field sports (hunting, fishing and shooting), football, golf, lacrosse, hockey, netball, polo, rugby, rifle shooting, rowing, tennis and yachting. The Royal Agricultural University is just one of three remaining British universities (the others being the
University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
and the
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
) to maintain their own beagle pack. Founded in 1889, the RAU Beagles is run by the students who whip in and hunt the hounds, and until the 2004 hunting ban, hunted hares in the countryside around Cirencester.


Research

In the
Research Excellence Framework The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013. REF is ...
(REF) 2021, 52% of the university's research was classed as 3* or 4* meaning it is world-leading or internationally excellent. In addition, half of the university's scientific publications were deemed to be of international quality. In
Research England Research England is a part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) that oversees the functions of UKRI in relation to university research and knowledge transfer in England. This includes: * providing funding to English universities for rese ...
's Knowledge Exchange Framework, the university was grouped into the STEM cluster – small specialist universities in medicine, science, and engineering – ranking second out of the nine institutions in the cluster. The university was recognised as having very high or high engagement in five of the seven criteria on which it was judged.


Library

The university library holds around 40,000 print volumes, nearly 1,000 current journal subscriptions, more than 40,000
e-book An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
s and a growing number of full-text databases. The main collection is supplemented by a support collection and a historical collection of texts, primarily on agriculture and estate/land management, dating back to the 16th century. The library also holds the RAU archive, a collection of documents relating to the institution since its foundation.


Controversies

In April 2023, the university was criticised by animal rights activists after students tied a dead fox to the roof of a car during a charity event. The university launched an investigation and issued a range of sanctions relating to the incident that included permanent expulsion. Similarly, on 29 March 2023 it was reported by Channel 4 News that the Royal Agricultural College Beagles were allegedly hare-coursing - an act that has been illegal since 2005.


Patrons

The patron of RAU and its predecessor institution, the Royal Agricultural College, has always been the reigning British monarch. The gap between Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III occurred because of a review of royal patronages. *1845–1901 –
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
*1901–1910 –
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
*1910–1936 –
King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...
*1936 –
King Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...
*1936–1952 –
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
*1952–2022 –
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
*2024–present –
King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...


Notable people


Staff

* James Buckman – professor of geology, botany, and zoology from 1848 to 1863. * John D. Custance – professor of agricultural science in the late 1870s, later was responsible for establishing
Roseworthy Agricultural College Roseworthy Agricultural College was an agricultural college in Australia. It was north of Adelaide and west of Roseworthy, South Australia, Roseworthy town. It was the first agricultural college in Australia, established in 1883. It is now pa ...
in South Australia. * John Scott, on the staff shortly from 1880, later became known as a tractor pioneer. *Sir Emrys Jones, former chief adviser to the Minister of Agriculture from 1967 to 1973, and director of the Government's Agricultural and Development Advisory Service (ADAS), was principal of the college from 1973 until 1978. He described his time at Cirencester as the most enjoyable period in his life. In 2011, a new teaching facility at the college was named in his honour. For university applicants with a connection to Wales, a scholarship has been set up that carries the former principal's name. * Edward William Prevost, Professor of Chemistry 1879 to 1881 then retired to be a farmer *
George Stephen West George Stephen West (20 April 1876 – 7 August 1919), ARCS, FLS, was a British botanist, a specialist in phycology and protistology, a botanical illustrator and a writer. With his father, botanist William West (West, 1848–1914), he colla ...
(1876–1919), professor of natural history 1899–1906 *
John Wrightson Professor John Wrightson Chemical Society, FCS, Royal Agricultural University, MRAC (1840 – 30 November 1916) was a British agriculturalist and the founder of Downton Agricultural College (1880–1906) at Downton, Wiltshire, Downton in Wilt ...
(1840–1916), founder of Downton Agricultural College *
Mark Horton Mark Horton may refer to: * Mark Horton (archaeologist) (born 1956), British maritime and historical archaeologist, television presenter and writer * Mark Horton (bridge) (born 1950), British author, journalist and expert on bridge * Mary Ann Horto ...
, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research & Enterprise from 2021 *
Cassie Newland Cassie Newland is a British archaeologist, public historian and academic. She is Associate Professor in Cultural Heritage and Director of the Cultural Heritage Institute at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Swindon. She was previously S ...
, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Heritage, Director of the Cultural Heritage Institute


Alumni

Royal Agricultural University graduates have won a number of awards and prizes, including the
Farmers Weekly ''Farmers Weekly'' is a magazine aimed at the British farming industry. It provides news; business features; a weekly digest of facts and figures about British, European and world agriculture; and livestock, arable and machinery sections wi ...
Young Farmer Of The Year Award (James Price 2009 and Adrian Ivory 2008). Notable students from the institution include: Arts and Media *
Mark Bence-Jones Mark Adayre Bence-Jones (29 May 1930 – 12 April 2010) was a London-born writer, noted mainly for his books on Irish architecture, the British aristocracy and the British Raj. He regarded himself as being both Irish and English, seeing no co ...
, writer *
Jonathan Dimbleby Jonathan Dimbleby (born 31 July 1944) is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, author and historian. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of television presenter David Dimbleby. ...
, television personality and political commentator *
Dwijendralal Ray Dwijendralal Ray (19 July 1863 – 17 May 1913), also known as D. L. Ray, was a Bengali poet, playwright, and musician. He was known for his Hindu mythological and nationalist historical plays and songs known as '' Dwijendrageeti'' or the ''Songs ...
Bengali poet * Teddy McDonald, contemporary artist Peerage *
Sir John Agnew, 6th Baronet Sir John Keith Agnew, 6th Baronet (19 December 1950 – 22 June 2011) was the owner of the Rougham estates in Suffolk, England. He was the son of Sir George Keith Agnew, fifth Baronet (1918–1994), and his Danish-born wife Baroness Anne Merete ...
* David Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury *
Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baronet The Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe Baronetcy, of Elvetham Hall in Elvetham in the County of Hampshire, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 1 July 1929 for Fitzroy Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe. Born Fitzroy Hamilton ...
*
Derek Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury Derek Coates Barber, Baron Barber of Tewkesbury (17 June 1918 – 21 November 2017) was a British member of the House of Lords. He also served as a senior civil servant and agricultural expert. Barber was educated at the Royal Agricultural Colle ...
*
Alan Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough Alan Henry Brooke, 3rd Viscount Brookeborough (born 30 June 1952) is a Northern Irish Peerage, peer and landowner. He is one of the 92 hereditary peers who remain in the House of Lords; he sits as a crossbencher. He is the current Lord Lieutenant ...
*
Jeremy Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo Jeremy Ulick Browne, 11th Marquess of Sligo (4 June 1939 – 13 July 2014), styled Earl of Altamont until 1991, was an Irish hereditary peer and businessman. On the death of his father, he was entitled to sit in the House of Lords by virtue of ...
*
Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll Torquhil Ian Campbell, 13th and 6th Duke of Argyll (born 29 May 1968), styled as Earl of Campbell before 1973 and as Marquess of Lorne between 1973 and 2001, is a Scottish peer. The family's main seat is Inveraray Castle, although the Duke and ...
*
Robin Cayzer, 3rd Baron Rotherwick Herbert Robin Cayzer, 3rd Baron Rotherwick (born 12 March 1954), is a British landowner and estate manager. He sat as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords for the Conservative Party, from 1996 until his retirement in 2022. Early life Robin ...
, one of the 92 hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords *
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* Patrick Chichester, 8th Marquess of Donegall * David Cunliffe-Lister, 2nd Earl of Swinton *Robin Dundas, Earl of Ronaldshay *
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* Nicholas Guy Halsey *
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*
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*
Lord Nicholas Hervey Lord Frederick William Charles Nicholas Wentworth Hervey () (26 November 1961 – 26 January 1998) was a British aristocrat and political activist. He was the second son of Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol, the 6th Marquess of Bristol, but ...
*
Charles Kennedy, 5th Marquess of Ailsa Charles Kennedy, 5th Marquess of Ailsa (10 April 1875 – 1 June 1956) was a British peerage, Scottish peer, the son of Archibald Kennedy, 3rd Marquess of Ailsa. He was known as Lord Charles Kennedy until 1943, when he inherited the marquessate. ...
* Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole of Hawaii * John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore *
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*
David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, (17 May 1926 – 26 June 2023) was a Scottish landowner, soldier, banker and peer. Airlie served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1984 until 1997, as well as in a number of h ...
*
William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel William James Robert Peel, 3rd Earl Peel (born 3 October 1947), styled Viscount Clanfield until 1969, is a British hereditary peer who was a Conservative peer from 15 May 1973 until October 2006 when, on his appointment as Lord Chamberlain of t ...
*
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*
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*
Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort Henry John FitzRoy Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort (born 22 May 1952), styled Marquess of Worcester between 1984 and 2017, also known as Harry Beaufort or Bunter Beaufort, is an English peer and landowner with estates in Gloucestershire and Wilt ...
*
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*
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*
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*
Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown James Patrick Montagu Burgoyne Winthrop Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown (also known as Patrick Courtown; born 19 March 1954), styled Viscount Stopford between 1957 and 1975, is an Irish peer and politician. He is one of the 92 hereditary peers e ...
* Luke White, 6th Baron Annaly * Sir John Wills, 4th Baronet Politics *
Stuart Agnew John Stuart Agnew (born 30 August 1949) is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England region for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2009 to 2019 This was the year in which the ...
,
UK Independence Party The UK Independence Party (UKIP, ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of parliament (both through defect ...
MEP *
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, Member of Parliament * William Bridges-Maxwell, Australian politician *
Sandy Bruce-Lockhart Alexander John Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart, (4 May 1942 – 14 August 2008), commonly known as Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, was a British Conservative politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was the leader of Kent County ...
* Julian Cayo-Evans *
Michael Colvin Michael Keith Beale Colvin (27 September 1932 – 24 February 2000) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol Nor ...
, former Member of Parliament *
Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2022 to 2024. He served as Leader of Fine Gael#Deputy leaders, deputy leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 202 ...
, former
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Minister's office is located at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh H ...
and
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*
Richard Drax Richard Grosvenor Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax (born 29 January 1958) is a British Conservative Party politician, landowner, journalist, and former Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dorset between 2010 and 2024. Early life and education Richa ...
, Member of Parliament *
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, Member of Parliament for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire * Tim Johnston, Manx politician *
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, former MP *
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, former leader of UKIP * Arthur Nichols, Australian politician * Joseph-Xavier Perrault *
Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb Charles Henry Plumb, Baron Plumb, (27 March 1925 – 15 April 2022) was a British politician and farmer who went into politics as a leader of the National Farmers' Union. He later became active in the Conservative Party and was elected as a ...
, former chairman of the NFU and politician *
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, former MEP *
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*
Noel Stirling Austin Arnold Wallinger Noel Stirling Austin Arnold Wallinger (March 12, 1865 – March 4, 1948) was an English-born miner, civil servant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cranbrook in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1922 ...
Sports *
Algernon Bligh Algernon Stuart Bligh (6 October 1888 – 27 December 1952) played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, Somerset from 1922 to 1926, appearing in 12 games in 1925. He was born in Marylebone, London and died at Minehead, Somerset. ...
. Somerset County cricketer * Mark Anthony Peter Phillips, former husband of the Princess Royal, Great Britain equestrian rider, cross country course designer * Jason Little, Australian rugby union player *
Ben Clarke Ben Clarke (born 15 April 1968), is a former England back-row international rugby union player. Biography Educated at Bishop's Stortford College, Clarke played for Bath Rugby from 1992 to 1996, before joining Richmond F.C. as the first £1 ...
, England, British Lions and Bath rugby union player * Tim Payne, England, British Lions and Wasps rugby union player * Peter Walton, Scotland, British Lions and Newcastle rugby union player *
Marcus Armytage Marcus Armytage orn is a journalist and former National Hunt jockey who won the Grand National as an amateur in 1990, riding Mr Frisk. He was educated at Scaitcliffe School and Eton College. Armytage's win in the 1990 Grand National on Mr Fri ...
, National Hunt jockey *
Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...
, race horse trainer * Aubrey Jackman, tattooist *
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, England cricketer * Arthur Sclater, Sussex County cricketer *
Richard Nancekivell Richard Nancekivell was a Cornish rugby union player who competed in the Cornwall County team. He is remembered as the man who scored the winning tries in the 1991 County Rugby championships at Twickenham when Cornwall narrowly beat Yorkshire. ...
, Cornwall and Northampton Saints rugby union player *
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, England, British Lions and Bristol rugby union Player *
Andrew Balding Andrew Matthews Balding (born 29 December 1972) is a British racehorse trainer based at Park House Stables, Kingsclere, Hampshire. Biography Balding attended Caldicott School, a boys' preparatory school, and Radley College, a public school. He ...
, racehorse trainer *
Nicky Henderson Nicholas John Henderson (born 10 December 1950) is a British racehorse trainer. He has been British jump racing Champion Trainer six times. Background His father was Johnny Henderson who was one of the founders of the Racecourse Holdings Tr ...
, racehorse trainer * Lisa Wooding, England and Great Britain hockey player, Olympian * Mike Tucker, equestrian and agricultural show commentator Other * Richard Abel Smith * James Buckman *
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*
Michael Coulson (barrister) (James) Michael Coulson (23 November 1927 – 18 June 2002) was a British barrister and judge, who also had a five-year parliamentary career. He was also an enthusiastic horse rider, huntsman and farmer, and was known at the Bar for his outstandi ...
* Tim Heywood *
Chris Keeble Christopher Patrick Benedict Keeble (born 14 November 1941) is a former British Army officer, who fought in the Falklands War. Early life Keeble was born in Quetta, British India, and received his early formal education at the Benedictine Douai ...
, soldier, The Parachute Regiment and Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford *
Eleanor Anne Ormerod Eleanor Anne Ormerod (11 May 182819 July 1901) was a pioneer English entomologist. Based on her studies in agriculture, she became one of the first to define the field of agricultural entomology. She published an influential series of articles on ...
*
Edward Packard (businessman, born 1843) Sir Edward Packard, junior (28 September, 1843, Saxmundham – 1932 Bramford), was an English businessman who developed a major artificial fertilizer industry near Ipswich, Suffolk. He also was active in the formation and development of the Ipsw ...
, son of the founder of Fisons fertiliser * Baron Rathcreedan, pedigree cow auctioneer *Sir
Wilfred de Soysa Sir Lambert Wilfred Alexander de Soysa, also known as Sir Wilfred de Soysa (20 Feb 1884 - 3 May 1968), was a Ceylonese entrepreneur, landed proprietor and philanthropist. He was the seventh son of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa and Lady Catherine de So ...
*
Augustus Voelcker John Christopher Augustus Voelcker FRS (24 September 1822 – 5 December 1884) was a Royal Agricultural Society of England chemist. Voelcker was known for his methodical and precise analytical practices as applied to agricultural chemistry. He ...
, professor of agricultural chemistry *
John Wrightson Professor John Wrightson Chemical Society, FCS, Royal Agricultural University, MRAC (1840 – 30 November 1916) was a British agriculturalist and the founder of Downton Agricultural College (1880–1906) at Downton, Wiltshire, Downton in Wilt ...
, founder of Downton Agricultural College File:The 5th Duke of Abercorn Allan Warren.jpg,
James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn (born 4 July 1934), styled Viscount Strabane until 1953 and Marquess of Hamilton between 1953 and 1979, is a British peer, courtier and politician. Hamilton became the 5th Duke of Abercorn in the Peerage o ...
File:Stuartagnew.jpg, UKIP MEP
Stuart Agnew John Stuart Agnew (born 30 August 1949) is a British politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the East of England region for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) from 2009 to 2019 This was the year in which the ...
File:Richard Benyon Official.jpg, Conservative MP
Richard Benyon Richard Henry Ronald Benyon, Baron Benyon, (born 21 October 1960), is a British politician who has served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household since 4 November 2024. He previously was Minister of State for Climate, Environment and Energy from ...
File:Simon Coveney2.png, Irish Cabinet Minister
Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 2022 to 2024. He served as Leader of Fine Gael#Deputy leaders, deputy leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 202 ...
File:Tim Payne.jpg, England Rugby player Tim Payne


References


External links


Official website
{{authority control Education in Gloucestershire
Agricultural College This article lists agricultural universities and colleges around the world, by continent and country. Africa Algeria * Higher National Agronomic School (French name: Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique) Benin * Agricultural University ...
Agricultural universities and colleges in the United Kingdom Universities and colleges established in 1845 1845 establishments in England Cirencester